I also love the part in HHB when Shasta realizes that Aslan was standing on his side to guide him and to keep him from falling of the edge of the pass. It shows how even in our dark circumstances, God is still watching over us in ways we may not even realize.

There is also the line in VDT when Aslan says, "I am the great Bridge Builder". It brings up the popular image of a cross acting as a bridge between the sinners and heaven.

NW sister Lucy of Narnia & Louloudi_the_Centaur, NW father of Aslans_JewelI am not my own for I have been made new. Please don't let me go-I desperately need you. ~Hoot Owls of Narnia!~

That's my favorite part too, Lilygloves (The one from HHB)!! I love it so much, and it's meant so much to me these past few months in my life when I was going through some very difficult circumstances! That analogy has reall come to life for me, and it gives me so much hope and encouragement!!!

I also really love the Salvation scene in LWW. That's my second favorite Christian message in the Narnian books. I really love how the whole scene plays out, and how the book is set so that you are being prepared for it all even without knowing it! It's so sad at first, and then so wonderful, just like the story of Jesus' crucifixion! I love the power it carries with it, and the beautiful, perfect analogy it holds!!

sig by Sheroo of Stormness Headavatar by meMember of the Dragon club. PM Narnia Girl or FFJ to join.RL sibling to De_De and wild rose

The most meaningful Christian message to me is pretty much the entire book of The Silver Chair. (Yeah, there's a reason it's my favorite book )

Jill is being a twit, showing off on the edge of a cliff, Eustace tries to stop her and he falls. Aslan gives her the signs, blows her to Narnia, but Eustace is so mad at her (understandably) that they miss the first sign. We can assume that had she not been acting like an idiot, their quest to save Rilian would have gone just as smoothly as the Pevensie's quest to save Narnia in PC. BUT, even though their quest didn't start well and Jill forgets the signs halfway through, they were still successful.

This to me is an incredible picture of my own life. Even though I continually screw up over and over, God can and will still use me for His own glory and accomplish something magnificent through me.

fantasia_kitty wrote:This to me is an incredible picture of my own life. Even though I continually screw up over and over, God can and will still use me for His own glory and accomplish something magnificent through me.

Awww. Wow. I never thought of it that way before. That is really beautiful, FK. Thanks for sharing.

Like FK, the Silver Chair contains some of my favorite Christian messages, especially Puddleglum's speech in the Underworld about believing in Narnia and Aslan even if they don't exist. It really inspires me.

Also, Edmund's conversion is also very powerful and one of my favorites, because it shows that no one is ever too far gone for God's grace and redemption.

But I think the one that takes the cake is the end of the Last Battle, when they discover Aslan's Country. Especially the part where Jewel says, “I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now...Come further up, come further in!”

It's hard to explain exactly why I love this quote, because there are a bunch of reasons, really. It encourages me to come further up & further in, pressing on with my love for Jesus. It reminds me of what we have to look forward to in heaven, and what a beautiful journey we're on. And ultimately, that it will be worth it in the end. As someone who is keenly aware of human suffering and pain, it's beautiful to think about what I have to look forward to after the rest of the world fades away. And as C.S. Lewis himself said, “There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.”

(Not sure where exactly he said this quote as I have yet to read his nonfiction writing, so if he didn't actually say it, I apologize.)

Ooh, this is a tough question. I'm going to answer based on some of my favorite scenes, since they seem to go hand in hand.

One of my favorite messages comes in HHB when Aslan talks with Shasta. His reminders and revelations about His presence in Shasta's life, even in the moments when Shasta could not know that Aslan was there or thought that there was something wrong happening. The admonishments "There was only one lion" and "I was the cat who comforted you among the Tombs" are two of my favorite quotations from that passage.

As many have said, Puddleglum's speech is great also, as is the message of Aslan's control and Providence that runs throughout SC. I will also ditto Mountie's thoughts about the end of LB. I get chills whenever I read that section.

Other than those, my favorites are from VDT. Eustace's undragoning is just such a powerful illustration of the call to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, submitting to God's power to be cleansed. Also, the resolution of the chapter "The Dark Island" has always been a favorite of mine because of Aslan's encouragement to Lucy ("Courage, Dear heart.") and the fact that Aslan destroyed the darkness (or brought them through it, depending on the version you have).

In case you can't tell, I like Aslan's encouragements.

"All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a Thousand Enemies. And when they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you..."Inexhaustible Inspiration

I have several favorites as well - I'll mention some of them, but I cannot really grade them against each other ...

Two of them are from LWW, the book I read again and again for many years before any of the others were available.

Aslan's suffering under the cruelty of the Witch and her minions around the Stone Table, always reminds me of Jesus' suffering before his crucifixion. It makes me wonder how he could suffer all that with such patience and calmness - "brought as a lamb to the slaughter".

Then there is what Lewis speaks of as the Deep Magic and the Deeper Magic - the principle that when the innocent lays down his life for the guilty, death's power is broken.Probably because the only one who was innocent, and thus qualified to substitute for the guilty, was the one who was stronger than death.

God raised him up, having loosed the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.Acts 2:24

I really like the whole "I have another name in your world" scene. With the calm waters, the lilies and Aslan being a lamb, it is just so powerful.

I also love when Lucy sees Aslan and the others don't in PC, and they end up going the wrong way. It just shows that we need to "walk by faith and not by sight".

Of course the Salvation message in LWW is an all time favorite.

In SC I really love Puddleglums' speech! It is so powerful. Actually the Kingdom of the LoTGK is like the life without Christ and how Satan is trying to woo us to sleep, but we can overcome him.

In HHB the scene when Aslan and Shasta walk together in the dark is so awesome. They're whole conversation is soo cool

And of course the LB is probably the most serious and heaviest book of all. I love the part when Aslan tells Emeth that you can't do good in the name of Tash, and you can't do bad in the name of Aslan. Of you do good, you are doing it in Aslan's name no matter what you say.

Founder of the Exploring Narnia Club (PM me to join)Member of the Dragon ClubAsking for desperate prayer for a friend, for information click viewtopic.php?f=15&t=8064

De_De wrote:In HHB the scene when Aslan and Shasta walk together in the dark is so awesome. They're whole conversation is soo cool

I agree - and I remember that it once struck me that even the beginning of it has something to tell me. Shasta walks alongside the unknown companion, getting more and more nervous, and finally has to ask who the other is. And the answer is,"One who has waited long for you to speak."

So often God doesn't impose himself upon us, he waits for us to take the initiative. And if we don't speak to him for a long time, the loss is on us.

It maybe not be my favorite, but I have always loved the message (although a very saddening message) about men going wild inside like the animals here, and still looked like men, so that you never know which were which in PC.

I always felt it was talking about how wicked men's hearts really are and how we cannot perceive the intent. The Christian message of how deceitful the heart can really be.

Homeschoolers taking over the World!Member of RD's club.VP of the CWM clubDragon fan clubI Support Scrubb!

I was listening to SC last night and I made another connection to the Bible. In the scene where the LOTGK is enchanting the children, Puddleglum, and Rilian, she is constantly trying to convince them that they were living in a made-up world and hers is the only real world. Then Puddleglum gives everyone's favorite speech about he'd rather have the made-up world than her world. It reminds me of 1 Corinthians when it talks about how things that are wise to God are foolish to man because men cannot understand God's plans. 1 Corinthians 1:27 says, "But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things of the mighty". The LOTGK knew that Narnia is real, but there may be times when we need to have the faith like Puddleglum. Even when the world tells us that we are foolish, we can trust that God's wisdom surpasses theirs.

NW sister Lucy of Narnia & Louloudi_the_Centaur, NW father of Aslans_JewelI am not my own for I have been made new. Please don't let me go-I desperately need you. ~Hoot Owls of Narnia!~

I think my favorite message and scene from Narnia is from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. After the undragoning, Eustace is intercepted by Edmund. In the conversation that follows there is such a show of humility from Eustace and such a show of grace from Edmund. Basically these two cousins, who had always fought previously, were now sitting together as men, as friends, and as brothers, discussing a topic that was deeply personal but also inspirational.

This has been such a wonderful model for how the Church can minister. Like Edmund, all we need to do is be gentle, merciful, and kind. We ask questions, then listen to the answers. The people aboard the Dawn Treader couldn't change Eustace. Eustace couldn't even change himself. Only Aslan could that. Likewise, no person can root out the evil in another person. No one can root out the evil in themselves. Only God can cleanse a person from the inside out, after submission to Jesus Christ. But after the person touches God, then they are humbled and ready to share and ask for life-giving advice.

Some days you might be Eustace, other days you might be Edmund, but no matter who you are, finding a good (same gender) Christian friend who will talk with you and pray with you on deeply personal topics will reap such wonderful rewards. It will help you grow so much. It isn't for no reason that James 5:16 says: "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." (NIV)

It's really tough to choose. There are so many good ones. I suppose there also may be somewhat of a distinction from "Christian message" and Lewis's personal theology, but it's all thought-provoking and very often extremely inspiring.

One of my favorites is Puddleglum's triumphant monologue. The Lady of the Green Kirtle's hypnotism and verbal trickery has come perilously close to talking Rilian, Eustace, Jill and even Puddleglum out of believing in Narnia and Aslan competely. Even when Puddleglum begins his final rebuttal, he says, "All you've been saying is quite right, I shouldn't wonder." But he still goes on to say that he's on Aslan's side even if there isn't any Aslan to lead it, and that he's going to live as like a Narnian as he can even if there isn't any Narnia, and that he's going to spend the rest of his life looking for Overland.

I feel like this is very relevant to Christians especially because we all go through times—sometimes very extended periods of time—where we cannot feel God's presence. We remember moments when believing was easy, like how Puddleglum recalls Narnia and says that the Green Witch can't make him forget it: not the sky full of stars, nor the brilliance of the sun. But like Puddleglum, so often we find that the Witch is in our ear, sowing doubt that even these memories of true faith and relationship with God ever happened or had validity until we find we can hardly believe in them anymore either.

Like Puddleglum, we need to remember to keep on calling out to God and reaching for the Truth when the spiritual darkness is closing in around us and making us feel as though He isn't there anymore. Even when Puddleglum was standing right on the precipice of unbelief, he still had the courage and fortitude to say "I am of the Light and not of the Darkness", and that is what finally broke the Witch's spell.

Thematically, it reminds me a lot of how Jesus still cried out to the Father on the cross. Even when it seemed he had been forsaken by God, Jesus still called out to God has his God. And even in the very moment where it seemed they had been abandoned, Puddleglum still affirmed that he was on Aslan's side, no matter what.

This is what Puddleglum's monologue has come to mean for me, and I find it to be deeply inspirational and comforting.

I often find the message of staying strong and keeping to what you know is true, when there is deceit and falseness around.That is encouraging, not just to keep trying, but also to know I am not alone in this experience.

“Stale water is a poor drink,' said Annlaw. 'Stale skill is worse. And the man who walks in his own footsteps only ends where he began.”― Lloyd Alexander, Taran Wanderer

stargazer wrote:It's been a very long time since I first read the Chronicles, and yet I can still remember being touched by the spiritual aspects of the books - especially in HHB. In addition to the passages in which Shasta encounters Aslan for the first time, which include an apparent reference to the Trinity and Shasta falling to his feet in worship, there's the overarching theme of the book, which I think is the loving sovereignty of Aslan - even in the lives of those who don't know him and thus are totally unaware of it. I think this is best summed up when Aslan says:

"I was the lion…who forced you to join with Aravis. I was the cat who comforted you among the houses of the dead. I was the lion who drove the jackals from you while you slept. I was the lion who gave the Horses the new strength of fear for the last mile so that you should reach King Lune in time. And I was the lion you do not remember who pushed the boat in which you lay, a child near death, so that it came to shore where a man sat, wakeful at midnight, to receive you."

This is one of my favorite passages in all the books. Just the power of this still, quiet forest, and hearing a Great voice saying, "I Am the one who has watched over you, I Am the one who guides you." It's a beautiful, beautiful scene, encapsulating what it feels like to realize, for/as if for the first time, just who God really is in our lives.

I think Aslan, in general, is another favorite Christian message of mine. I've been a Christian all my life and was raised in a Christian home and in church, so sometimes... it's hard to think about the Gospel with the same kind of wonder as I should. It's so easy to take it all for granted. Aslan, though, is presented so well--with so much mystery, gentleness, strength, ferocity, nobility--that I begin to remember again: the real Christ is even better.

Another message that resonates with me has to do with Aslan choosing children like Edmund, Eustace, and Jill. Eustace was a self-serving brat; Edmund was similar, to the point of betraying his family over it. As fantasia_kitty mentioned earlier, Jill was constantly so caught up in her own miseries that she couldn't see straight. And yet, Aslan chose these children, set them on adventures that would help them grow past that... and loved them all the same throughout the whole process. Such a great reminder that, above and beyond God using ordinary people for extraordinary things, He can even use those that anyone else might so easily give up on.

RonPrice wrote:As Wikipedia notes in quoting C.S. Lewis's words from his work Of Other Worlds:

"Some people seem to think that I began by asking myself how I could say something about Christianity to children; then fixed on the fairy tale as an instrument, then collected information about child psychology and decided what age group I’d write for; then drew up a list of basic Christian truths and hammered out 'allegories' to embody them. This is all pure moonshine. I couldn’t write in that way. It all began with images; a faun carrying an umbrella, a queen on a sledge, a magnificent lion. At first there wasn't anything Christian about them; that element pushed itself in of its own accord."

And, I think this is why the Chronicles are so beloved, while all the time conveying such deep messages--even while other stories, which are pretty clearly written with the message in mind, tend to seem so superficial. C.S. Lewis started with characters, stories, and an adventurous world, and the things that shaped his worldview showed up naturally there.

N-Web sis of stardf, _Rillian_, & jerendaProud to be Sirya the Madcap Siren